22914: Is it permissible to do research for a student in return for payment?

Some teachers ask their students to do research and give the students grades for that. Is it permissible for me to do this research for the student in return for payment that I take from him?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Doing research that is required by teachers in government
schools or elsewhere is a requirement of study that serves specific goals
such as training the student to research, acquainting them with the sources,
finding out how able he is to derive information and organize it, and other
aims of asking the student to do research. Hence if some teachers or others
do this work on the student’s behalf in return for payment or without
payment, this is a haraam action, and the payment for it is haraam earnings,
because it involves deceit, lying and falsification. This is a kind of
cooperating in sin, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“but do not help one another in sin and transgression”

[al-Maa'idah 5:2]

And the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever deceives us is
not one of us.” Narrated by Muslim, 101

To sum up: it is not permissible for a student to delegate
someone to do research on his behalf, and it is not permissible for anyone
to do it on his behalf in secret, or to take payment for that.

And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah send
blessings and peace upon of Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.